Whitegate Oil Refinery – Storage Tank

Upgrade Crude Oil Storage Tanks, Whitegate, Oil Refinery

Project Team

Client

ConocoPhillips

Whitegate Oil Refinery is Ireland’s only refinery and has a processing capacity of 72 MBPD. Crude oil processed by the refinery is light, sweet crude, sourced mostly from the North Sea. Refined products are distributed inland and exported to international markets.

Project Specification / Description

JS McCarthy has undertaken the maintenance upgrade of crude oil storage tanks at Whitegate over the past number of years.

The upgrade would include the internal lining of the floor plus 500mm of the internal tank shell. The preparation and application of a high performance coating to the tank exterior to include shell, windgirder, roof, access ladders and the associated pipework to afford a life to first maintenance of seven to ten years.

The internal process includes vacuum blasting of tank floor to SA 2.5 standard and the application of a fibre glass reinforced lining to a overall dry film thickness of 1950 microns. As this process is vital to the longevity of the tank strict monitoring of heating and humidity levels must be carried out while work is in progress.

The external of the tank required high pressure washing to 8000psi, spot blasting defective areas to SA2.5 standard and the application of modified epoxy primer to 125 microns, an epoxy high build to 125 microns and a polyurethane finish to 50 microns.